Mix it up!

Speaking of getting inspiration of what to run on our layouts, way back during my original Lionel days, thirty some years ago, I would always watch to see what was running around 30th Street Station in Philly.  This was easy because I drove past it to and from work.  Then as I got near home, I passed under the Trenton Cutoff, where it runs through Fort Washington.  

In those days, GG1s were still supreme.  And freight trains were not as boring.  E44s and an occasional E33 would be seen on the High Line near 30th street.  

I would arrive home and try to emulate what I had seen that day.  It was alot of fun.

I used to occasionally catch the "chemical train" (CSX radio lingo) at any of several favorite spots near Sandpatch. This was a mixed general freight train and always had lots of tank cars (hence "chemical") as well as box cars, bulkhead lumber flats, flat cars w/ machinery and various size covered hoppers. Cars of a type were always blocked together, obviously in different cuts from various sources. Thus a cut of tanks would pass, followed by a cut of covered hoppers, followed by a short cut of lumber loads, followed by another cut of tank cars and so it would go. The train was clearly blocked for ease of classification at it's destination yard. One rule (at least then) was: no tank cars next to the head end and none at the tail end.

geysergazer posted:

 ...snip... and none at the tail end.

I guess that part of the rule is no longer in effect:

Yup, just one of the old safety rules that fell victim to the abolition of the ICC. I shudder when I see stuff like that because it isn't as if a train never rear-ends another train. 

I think the tank car in the picture above is loaded with corn syrup and not anything flammable. 

A buffer car may work for a slow speed wreck but I would thank if another train hitting a buffer car at 10 mph or more would be only just another car to clean up in the wreck. ( I do not and have not worked for a railroad)

Keith, it looks to me like it has red and white placards, one behind the EOTD and one on the side which is hard to read,  which would indicate it to be loaded with or had been loaded with a flammable or combustible commodity.  Since it is an ADM car it could or did contain ethanol.

Larry

Yes.  Looking at it again, it does have red and white placards.  I was just looking at the ADM on the side of the car.

I'm addicted to videos of old (steam era) trains. I try to represent them in my own consists (within the limits of layout size)

We use to get tankers like that filled with liquid propane when I worked for a propane company 

So, I run some mixed trains that are fun to watch for the variety. I also run a 10 car coal train, prr gla hoppers.  Regarding tank car consists or tankers mixed in, when I run my 9 tanker train, I have an empty hopper at the end ahead of the cabin car.  Is that close to proper?

Here you go.  I took a quick video of some mixed freight tonight. 

Make it simple, run what ever cars you have. 

Dave

I find unit trains boring.  I like to run mixed manifest freights with multiple locomotives of different styles and manufacturers.

Tom